The US Soccer Federation said on Wednesday it was shutting down its youth development academy permanently due to the financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

US Soccer, the sport's governing body in the United States, said in a statement the decision to shutter the academy, which it founded in 2007 and included competitions across five age groups, was effective immediately.

"The extraordinary and unanticipated circumstances around the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a financial situation that does not allow for the continuation of the development academy program into the future," it said.

The academy, which had halted operations due to the coronavirus outbreak, featured youth academies and clubs from various organisations, including Major League Soccer, and provided regular competition for those teams. https://liberiabet.com/2020/04/16/us-federation-shutters-youth-academy-due-to-covid-19-fallout/